Student Life

Academic Excellence

UC Santa Barbara is recognized for interdisciplinary and innovative approaches in many distinct fields of study. It is a unique measure of academic strength that contributes to the quality of UCSB's graduate programs. But other key factors, such as the varied and noted contributions of UCSB faculty research, enhance UCSB graduate education as well. For recent items of note about UC Santa Barbara, visit our campus News.

The campus is proud of UCSB faculty recipients of Nobel Prizes in the fields of chemistry (Alan J. Heeger, 2000 and Walter Kohn, 1998), physics (David J. Gross, 2004 and Herbert Kroemer, 2000), and economics (Finn E. Kydland, 2004). Visit UCSB Professors Receive Nobel Prizes for detailed information on these prestigious faculty members and their awards.

Recognition of the rising stature of UCSB faculty throughout the campus is evident in the number of fellows of the National Endowment for the Humanities, recipients of the National Medal of Science, and members of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, and the National Academy of Engineering. Explore UCSB Points of Pride for more information about growing recognition of UCSB as a world-class university.

UCSB also received acclaim when ranked the number two public research university in the United States in a recent study. Diamond and Graham's book about The Rise of American Research Universities took a new approach in their exploration of higher education in the postwar era. Details on this study and a full reference are provided via this link.